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Which hotel is best, Four Seasons Hualalai or Fairmont Orchid on Big Island? Four Seasons Hualalai is one of the best Four Seasons in Hawaii. It feels exclusive, and the setting of this hotel is otherworldly. Fairmont Orchid is situated just up from the Mauna Lani. It is a beautiful resort hotel set around a tropical free-form pool and, in most ways, falls below Four Seasons Hualalai for luxury. Fairmont Orchid does have the major advantage of being cheaper than the Four Seasons Hualaai.
Four Seasons Hualalai offers many secluded coves that no other hotel shares. The resort feels wild and remote compared to Fairmont Orchid, which is just up the coast from the Mauna Lani.
Both of these hotels are great. Which you choose will depend on your requirements and budget. I will break down the pros and cons of each hotel. Read on to find out which resort is best for you.
Book your stay at either hotel via our luxury travel concierge for extra benefits and perks, including free breakfast, resort credit, and a prioritized room upgrade.
1. Best Location: Four Seasons Hualalai Vs. Fairmont Orchid
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai sits on the shores of the stunning Kona-Kohala coast of Hawaii, situated on the Big Island, also known as Hawaii Island. This luxurious resort enjoys a prime oceanfront location, offering panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and dramatic lava rock formations.
The resort is surrounded by lush tropical gardens and volcanic landscapes, providing guests with a serene and picturesque setting to relax and unwind. Hualalai is renowned for its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, and abundant marine life, making it an ideal destination for snorkeling, diving, and other water sports.
The resort is conveniently located near Kona International Airport, just a short drive away. It is within easy reach of popular attractions such as historic Kailua-Kona town, coffee plantations, and the iconic Volcanoes National Park.
Fairmont Orchid is situated on the Kohala Coast. It enjoys 32 acres of oceanfront, with lush tropical gardens and a picturesque white sand lagoon. The hotel fronts a small, protected sandy beach, which is great for swimming and snorkeling. The waters here are generally calm, making it family-friendly.
Each offers a hotel different experience due to its respective location and surroundings.
2. Style & Character
The Four Seasons exudes a tropical desert island ambiance with low-rise architecture and breathtaking scenery. With its sprawling layout across vast lava rock formations and sandy beaches, this resort is a dreamy choice.
The Fairmont Orchid, nestled along the Kohala Coast, spans 32 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens featuring cascading waterfalls, tranquil ponds, and vibrant tropical flora. Its sprawling grounds create a serene oasis for guests to explore, offering a blend of manicured lawns and natural beauty that seamlessly blends with the coastal landscape.
Both resorts have beautiful grounds, but the Four Seasons grounds are more polished.
3. Beach & Pools
The pools at Hualalai are brilliant and numerous. At Four Seasons, Hualalai has eight pools, so it wins on this front, too. These pools range from an adults-only pool where you can enjoy cocktails and music to a dedicated kids pool, a lap pool, and, finally, an outdoor aquarium pool where you can swim with thousands of tropical fish. The Banyan Tree pool is steps from the beach.
The resort is built on the water’s edge, so all the beaches and coves are easily accessible from your room and the pools. The beach will probably be a shorter walk from your room at Hualalai.
It’s also worth mentioning that the beaches at Hualalai Resort are basking grounds for the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle. The multitude of Green Sea turtles that thrive here enjoy eating the limu (seaweed) off the rocks and resting on the sand or the rocks to warm their bodies. This can add an extra element of fun if you’re into wildlife.
If your top priority is a pool, the Fairmont Orchid boasts a spacious, inviting freestyle pool. The beautiful Fairmont pool area has lava-rock jacuzzis and a thatched-roof poolside bar. It is pretty and backed by tropical grounds, making this pool area stand out. But there is not the choice of pools at the Fairmont Orchid that there is at the Four Seasons Hualalai, and the beaches at Four Seasons Hualalai are better.
4. Rooms
We prefer the rooms at Hualalai. We love the ones on the ground floor (Hualalai rooms are designed in 2-floor blocks). The ground floor rooms at Four Seasons Hualalai all have a blissful outdoor shower. From these rooms, you can walk out from my room onto the dewey lawns in the morning or even step out straight onto the beach if you book one of the beachfront rooms or suites.
Our top picks are the poolside room, where you can stroll from your private terrace to the pool for a quick dip or just enjoy the views of the verdant landscaped gardens from your private balcony. The ground floor poolside rooms aren’t so great for privacy, but they are a dream for easy access to the pool for the family.
If you can splurge, the one or two-bedroom Anelakai Suite on the lower level at Four Seasons Hualalai is fantastic. They open to an extended lanai with a plunge pool, private lawn, and direct access to the beach. An outdoor dining table inspires breakfasts with an ocean breeze and romantic dinners for two.
Fairmont Orchid offers a range of rooms and suites, many with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean or the resort’s tropical gardens. The spacious rooms feature a blend of contemporary and traditional Hawaiian decor. The rooms at Fairmont Orchid are spacious and well-appointed, with sizes ranging from around 500 to 1,000 ft² for standard rooms and larger for suites.
Rooms at Fairmont Orchid feature upscale amenities such as luxurious bedding large marble bathrooms with views of either the ocean, garden, or resort grounds, but none have lava rock showers. The rooms at the Fairmont Orchid are great but not as great as the rooms at Four Seasons Hualalai.
5. Club Lounge
If you book a Gold Club room at the Fairmont Orchid, you will be whisked off to a separate check-in area. The Gold Lounge has juice, soft drinks, water, coffee, and tea throughout the day. They offer wine, champagne, and spirits in the honor system in the evenings. You simply note down what you have drunk, which will be charged to your room accordingly.
Evening appetizers are free of charge and usually include good cheeses, sushi rolls, olives, crackers, and fruit. In this lounge, one hot appetizer is also on offer. In the morning, there’s a complimentary continental breakfast with pastries, a hot entree, fruit, yogurt, granola, cheese, and fruit.
What is really special about this club lounge is that you are not restricted to staying inside. This lounge offers balcony seating out in the sunshine with views over the resort. This is one of the best club lounges in Hawaii.
Four Seasons Hualalai does not have a club lounge. The only Four Seasons hotel on the Hawaiian islands with a club lounge is the Four Seasons Maui.
Get a prioritized room upgrade at Fairmont Orchid or any Four Seasons hotel by booking via our concierge.
6. Food & Drink
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai boasts diverse restaurants offering exquisite cuisine in breathtaking settings. ‘ULU Ocean Grill showcases locally sourced ingredients in its innovative Hawaiian-inspired dishes, served amidst panoramic ocean views.
Guests can savor authentic Italian fare at Beach Tree, where wood-fired pizzas and homemade pasta are enjoyed beachside under swaying palms. For a taste of Japan, ‘Olu Grill offers fresh sushi and seafood in a casual outdoor setting overlooking the ocean.
Fairmont Orchid offers multiple dining options, including a sushi bar, a beachside grill, and a fine-dining restaurant serving local Hawaiian cuisine.
7. Golf
Four Seasons Resort Hualalai has an excellent golf course crafted with sensitivity to its unique environment. This 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus signature, championship course winds over 7,100 yards, beginning in a lush oasis, flowing across bright green fairways contoured against black lava, and then returning to the ocean for the final holes.
The Mauna Lani Golf Experience near the Fairmont Orchid offers two championship golf courses: the North and South Courses. Known for its stunning ocean views, lava fields, and lush green fairways, these courses combine challenging play with the natural beauty of the Hawaiian landscape.
Mauna Lani Golf offers picturesque ocean views and historic petroglyphs, while Hualalai Golf boasts lush landscaping and stunning oceanfront holes, providing two completely unique and unforgettable golfing experiences on the Big Island of Hawaii.
8. Staff
The staff and service at Four Seasons are usually unmatched, and the staff at Four Seasons Hualalai are no exception. They are amazing.
9. Price
Winter in Hawaii can be slightly cloudier and wetter from December to March, but it is a popular time to travel simply because the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is so miserable and cold. Pricing is reduced at all the hotels in the lower season. November and early December often offer the cheapest time of year to visit.
When comparing pricing, Fairmont Orchid is usually cheaper than the Hualalai Four Seasons. There are some cheaper Four Seasons hotels in Hawaii, such as Four Seasons Oahu, that are worth considering and require a smaller budget.
10. Which Is Best?
Four Seasons Hulalai is secluded and low rise, has more pools, and has better beaches than the Fairmont Orchid. Fairmont Orchid has the advantage of costing less and housing one of the best club lounges in the Hawaiian Islands. Both resorts are fabulous, and we are nit-picking to find fault with either. You will have a wonderful time if you can stretch to stay at either.
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